Special Saturdays offer glimpse into the vaults

December 1, 2018

The museum is hosting its next "Special Saturdays" programming on December 15, offering visitors the opportunity to go on guided tours of the museum's scientific labs and collections areas, as well as participate in additional educational programming.

"The museum has always offered the unique ability to peek inside working paleontology and archaeology labs from inside the Harvest Foundation Hall of Ancient Life," said Terri Robertson, museum educator. "However, visitors often wonder what else takes place inside the labs that aren't viewable from the exhibit halls and these tours are designed to let them find out first-hand."

"Special Saturdays" take place from noon to 5 p.m. on:

October 13, 2018

December 15, 2018

February 16, 2019

April 13, 2019

Tours begin on the top of each hour from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $20 per adult and $12 for children 12 and under.

"The museum has a variety of scientific labs and collections areas designated for research in paleontology, archaeology, mammalogy, invertebrate zoology and geology," said Robertson. "Before each tour, we will try to determine the areas that tour participants are most interested in seeing and we will cater the tour accordingly."

It's not just tours that make "Special Saturdays" so special.

"In addition to the tours, we'll have unique displays of fossils and artifacts from the museum's collection vault that visitors will be able to view and, in some cases, touch," said Robertson. "These will be items that most visitors to the museum never get a chance to see."

Normal museum admission prices will apply to visitors who choose not to participate in the tours and additional programming. Regular admission rates are $7 per adult and $5 for ages 3-18, with children under 3 and museum members receiving free admission.